An' even that he could hardly have intendit, but only to get quit o'
him; an' likely enough the man was weak, perhaps ill, an' the weicht
o' his pack on his back pulled him as he pushed.' Still, efter an'
a'--an' its mysel' 'at's sayin' this, no the gentleman, my lady--in
a pairt o' the country like that, gey an' lanely, it was not the
nicht to turn a fallow cratur oot in! 'The butler was, at the same
time, an old and trusty servan',' said Mr. Heywood, 'an' his master
was greatly concernt aboot the thing. It is impossible at this time
o' day,' he said, 'to un'erstan' hoo such a thing could be--i' the
total absence o' direc' evidence, but the short an' the weary lang
o' 't was, that the man was hangt, an' hung in irons for the deed.
"'An' noo ye may be thinkin' the ghaist o' the puir pedlar began to
haunt the hoose; but naething o' the kin'! There was nae disturbance
o' that, or ony ither sort. The man was deid an' buried, whaever did
or didna kill him, an' the body o' him that was said to hae killed
him, hung danglin' i' the win', an' naither o' them said a word for
or again the thing.
"'But the hert o' the man's maister was sair. He couldna help aye
thinkin' that maybe he was to blame, an' micht hae done something
mair nor he thoucht o' at the time to get the puir man aff; for he
was absolutely certain that, hooever rouch he micht hae been; an'
hooever he micht hae been the cause o' deith to the troublesome
pedlar, he hadna meant to kill him; it was, in pairt at least, an
accident, an' he thoucht the hangin' o' 'im for 't was hard lines.
Pages:
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472